About the AuthorNelson DeMille is a former U.S. Army lieutenant who served in Vietnam and is the author of nineteen acclaimed novels, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers Night Fall, Plum Island, The Gate House, The Lion, The Panther and Radiant Angel. His other New York Times bestsellers include The Charm School, Word of Honor, The Gold Coast, Spencerville, The Lion's Game, Up Country, Wild Fire, and The General's Daughter, the last of which was a major motion picture. For more information, you can visit NelsonDeMille.net. what is the best fantasy book series of all time Radiant Angel (A John Corey Novel (Book 7))
168 of 177 people found the following review helpful. Predictable but funBy TChrisColonel Vasily Petrov of the SVR receives a coded message instructing him to carry out his mission. John Corey, now working as a federal contract agent with the Diplomatic Surveillance Group, is assigned to watch Petrov. Corey and the DSG know Petrov is with the SVR but they don't know what nefarious purpose has caused him to masquerade as a diplomat. Corey is conducting surveillance with Tess, who claims to be a trainee with aspirations of joining the FBI. Corey isn't quite certain that her claim is truthful. He also has trust issues concerning his wife, which turns into a minor subplot as the story nears its conclusion.Corey has an irreverent attitude that makes him a fun character. He holds some grudges against the CIA over a nasty incident in Yemen. He has more than a few grudges against Islamic terrorists but he's convinced that Russia continues to pose a greater security threat (an opinion that doesn't sit well with the State Department, politicians, or most of the intelligence community). Of course, following the universal law of thriller fiction, Corey is right and everyone else is wrong.The first third of Radiant Angel, setting up the puzzle of what Petrov might be up to, is quite good. The next section, in which the focus shifts to Petrov, some Russian thugs, and a horde of hookers, is standard thriller fare. It moves quickly but the Russians are fairly dull and they're up to the same brand of mischief that has characterized Russian thriller villains for the last half century. The final third brings Corey and Tess back into the picture and the fun resumes.Nelson DeMille kicked the rust off of a reliable formula and put it back in action, creating an unimaginative story that nevertheless conveys a sense of realism. DeMille has an undeniable gift for generating excitement, but Radiant Angel feels like a story I have read many times before. I give it high marks for "fun factor" but a low score for originality.DeMille writes with a good deal of wit. Dialog is particularly enjoyable. Corey is an easy character to like. Those factors and the novel's excitement are all good reasons to enjoy the story, which I did. Still, Radiant Angel's staleness and its predictable ending prevent me from placing it on the top shelf of thriller fiction.209 of 223 people found the following review helpful. It is like watchin Die Hard #5By Ninja Daniel SanOK. So I don't usually do reviews but after finishing Radiant Angel I need to vent. As many other have pointed out, this is not the best work Mr. DeMille has done. This is not the DeMille who brought us Charm School, or Word of Honor, or The General's Daughter. And this is by far the worst John Corey book in the series way below Corey Classics like the The Lions Game and Night Fall. It is not even a match for The Panther which was not my favorite Corey book. If this book was a movie, it would be a straight-to-dvd or made-for-tv production and feels that way. Perhaps the influence of his son who is a screen writer? It is fairly short (not that long pages make a better book), almost like an extended "short story", it feels rushed, and lacks depth of characters and plot. John Corey himself is not himself and feels a little to tried and tired (and this is from someone who loves John). The romantic liaison is out of place and also tired and the unnecessary made-up side plot line about the possible infidelity of Kate Manfield seems like a week argument to allow for the possible attraction and flirting between John and his new much-younger partner. I waited a long time for the latest Corey episode and even pre-ordered the book in anticipation, in the end, I felt like I just watched another installment of the "Die Hard" series with John Corey in the place of Bruce Willis. For now I will go back and re-read the DeMille classics and hope that the next book lives up to its predecessors.9 of 9 people found the following review helpful. Totally disappointingBy D.R. UsualI finished Radiant Angel and wanted my time and money back. First, it's entirely predictable because it's really a re-hash of the plot from "Wild Fire." Second, after a number of excellent spy/terrorism thrillers, DeMille really phoned this one in. Apparently he decided he needed to retire one of his best characters, John Corey, and completely manufactured an unsatisfying ending. Corey's wife has apparently simply left the scene between books 6 and 7, running off to Washington to pursue her career, an affair, and a new life. That might be an interesting story line if you actually saw it happening, but you don't. It just happens between books, and the finale has a matter of fact, "Damn, she left me," kind of feel.And again, the story is just a stripped down repeat of "Wild Fire." Bad guy has a suitcase nuke. Bad guy has figured out a way to get it into the population center. John Corey stumbles across it, then lucks his way into finding the bomb and shooting the bad guys.Overall, it's a huge disappointment. Save your money and move on with book 6 as the series closure.